The Morning After
by SpeedBump
Summary: soooo....this is one of those...they blindly sleep together and must deal with the concequences fic...a little angsty for the first 2/3, but the last 1/3 just gets light-hearted...really, it's quite silly...:)


....so I always wanted to write one of these stories where Mac and Harm wake up in the same bed and realize they've slept together and...gasp!...MUST DEAL WITH THEIR ISSUES!!!.....:) and without further ado...the characters I do not own mixed in with the words I do not know how to spell.....:)(There's only so far you can go when half the words underlined spell check does not recognize...:) ANYWAY!...on with the shameless fic.........  
Mac woke with her jaw pressing on something uncomfortable. She sighed and gritted her teeth as she moved her head. And suddenly she was still. Her eyes snapped open and she slowly turned her head back to it's previous position. She was greeted with the sight of a chest and shoulder where her jaw had previously been resting. Someone's arm was draped across her stomach below the blankets.   
  
Her mind raced. It had been months since she had broken it off with Mic. And last night...last night she had....been going over files late when Harm stopped by, too drunk to form a sentence, which meant.....which meant that.....that was Harm's hand on her stomach, that was Harm's shoulder she had been lying on, and that was Harm's raspy breathing that was coming from the pillow above her somewhere. Mac felt panic flood her stomach and she slipped from Harm's grasp and padded into the bathroom where she preceded to slide down the back of the door, head in her hands, searching her memory for the nights events.   
  
It had been late when Harm had arrived dripping wet and stinking drunk on her doorstep. He stumbled in mumbling something about celebrating a hard won victory as Mac helped him to the couch. He instantly collapsed into slumber. She remembered smiling to herself as she covered him with a blanket and pulled his feet up onto the couch, he was a cute drunk. Not like others she knew. She lingered for a moment, watching him before turning out the lamp above his feet and heading for her own bed.   
  
She had been exhausted and fell instantly into slumber, only to be woken several times by strangely vivid dreams. Mac felt herself flush as a few dark images from those "strangely vivid dreams" flashed across her mind. Not just any flush, a deep, dark, burning flush that stained her cheeks and throat. She pressed her hand to her forehead and tried to bury the images of Harm's naked chest and throat silohetted by moonlight. Her efforts were in vain and she flung herself at the sink, gripping the sides of the basin until her knuckles were white. She stared at the bottom of the mirror and turned the cold faucet on with a vicious yank. For a long moment she stood there, crimson, shaking with tension, until, with a murderous glance at the woman in the glass, she cupped her hands under the water and splashed it over her heated face. Again and again she doused her features.   
  
Finally she straightened and buried her face in the hand towel that hung on the wall. Her face, when it emerged, was clear and emotionless. She sighed and exited the bathroom.   
  
She was sitting in the kitchen with her back to the door and coffee in her hand when Harm entered. He paused and leaned for support against the door sill. The tension in Mac's shoulders spoke volumes. Harm sighed and Mac turned around. She smiled weakly.  
"Good morning." Her voice cracked and she coughed. Harm slid himself onto the counter top.  
"So?" He responded. Mac's smooth brown eyes met his dark worried gaze.   
"So?" She echoed. Harm swung his legs against the cabinet door and cleared his throat painfully.   
"So are we gonna talk about it or what?" Mac set her mug down and turned back around until she was no longer facing him.   
"Do you have something to say?" Harm tried to clear his throat again.   
"Yeah, I think I do." Mac's head tilted down and Harm could tell she was twisting her hands in her lap. He took a deep breath. "I think I owe you an apology." Mac's back was suddenly ramrod straight and Harm winced. "not because I'm sorry it happened, but because I took advantage of you, my best friend, and that's not something best friends do." He paused. Mac looked a little less tense, or so he hoped. He slid off the counter top and padded around the table to squat in front of her. She sat with her head bowed and hands clenched to keep them from shaking. She did not look at him. He did not dare touch her.   
"Can you appreciate the difference?" There was a long silence and Mac raised her eyes to his face, lined with concern. Her eyes lingered there for a moment or two, and Harm thought he saw a glimpse of longing in their depths. She tightened her fingers and took a deep breath.  
"I'm a grown woman, Harm." The statement hung in the stillness of the kitchen. Mac bit her lip and hastily searched his features his eyes for understanding. Finding none, she cursed inwardly to herself and continued briskly. "I might have been sleepy, but I was fully aware of my actions."   
Harm blinked, and rocked back on his heels, stunned. Mac stared at her fingers, despretly blinking down tears. "Don't make this your fault, Harm. You were drunk, I was sober." Harm blinked again (A/N: hey, he's good at it!:)) Words left him. He stared open-mouthed at Mac, mind swirling. Mac smiled gently, tears glimmering in her eyes.   
Harm opened his mouth, but Mac's fingers found his mouth and she shook her head. Tears slipping down her face, Mac leaned in and softly kissed him on the lips. She lingered for a moment, before quietly getting up and walking out of the room leaving a very stunned Harm squatting in front of an empty chair.  
The cold from the tiles in the kitchen finally seeped their way into his counciousness and Harm sprung up and tore out of the kitchen. For once in his life, Harm quit thinking and felt, and what he felt, he could not control.   
Mac was leaning against the door frame to her bedroom, shoulders shaking quietly when Harm spun her around, pinned her against the frame, and kissed her. Mac swallowed a sob and flung her arms wildly around him, pulling him as close as she could. The smell of his heated skin and the feel of his body pressed against hers reawakened a burning flame in the pit of her stomach and once again her face flushed a brilliant red. Harm's hand crept around her waist, but suddenly it stopped and Harm tore himself away, breathing heavily. Mac took a deep breath and looked at him. He bit his lip and spoke.  
"We need time, to think this through." Mac sighed and watched her last chance float away, after Harm as he rapidly gathered his things from the bedroom. He paused at the door way where she was standing, tears yet again tracking down her face, and his eyes were broken hearted. He wiped her tears away with a gentle hand, and sighed.  
"Dammit Sarah, I don't want to screw this up." Mac met his eyes and tried to smile. She wasn't going to say anything, but some wall or restraint that should have been there was absent, and the words formed on her lips.  
"Then stay." She whispered. "Tell me you love me, and stay." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip. Harm stared at her mournfully. Mac blinked and a gulf expanded between them. A space of silence endured a tense and awkward moment in the apartment. Tears made their way silently down Mac's face and looking in his eyes, she just couldn't take anymore.   
"just stay, Harm, just stay." She pleaded. Harm stared down at her, confusion reigning in his eyes. Words simply burst out of his mouth.  
"I love you, Sarah, I jus-" He floundered to a halt, horribly confused, twisted, and surprised. With a wretched sob, Mac threw herself at Harm, who staggered under the sudden onslaught of her weight. He blinked, confused and distracted by this new relavation. Mac's hot tears were seeping into his t-shirt, and her sobs were shaking him as well. Who knew Mac was this emotional? He stood for a few moments, blinking confusedly, before instinct took over and common sense gave him a good kick in the pants. His things dropped to the floor, forgotten, and he raised his hand to her head. (A/N: or as I prefer to say, *haid* down south, y'all..:)) He smiled and pressed his lips to her hair.  
"I'll stay." He stroked her hair. "Believe me, I'll stay." Mac shuddered against him at his words, and she continued to sob. Harm did his best to try to comfort her. Sometime infinatly later, the storm had passed and Mac raised her head, released her death grip on Harm's neck and took several steps back. She scrubbed at her face self-counciously, and refused to meet his eyes.   
"Sorry." She muttered. Harm took several steps forward and enveloped her in a massive hug. Mac slowly reciprocated and Harm bent his head and coaxed peace from her lips. She broke apart suddenly and met his questioning gaze.  
"Stay forever, Harm." She whispered as she flushed under his eyes. Harm smiled and kissed her again.  
LATER!!!....as in the very next Monday...:)  
  
Mac scribbled on her pads as the voice on the other end of the phone dictated information.   
"Okay, thank you, sir. Good bye." She hung up. There was a knock at the door. Harriet entered with a large floral bouquet. Mac blinked in astonishment. Harriet set them on the chair.   
"These came for you, Ma'am." Mac blinked. It had been a long, long time since she had flowers sent to her at work. Due to her astonishment, she was temporarily struck stupid.   
"Who sent them?" She asked. Harriet shrugged.   
"Here's the note Ma'am, what does it say?" Mac opened the card. The writing was short. Mac, being still temporarily stupid, read it out loud.  
"Dinner, tonight, 8:00. Me. PS. I would love to stay forever." Harriet frowned.  
"Do have any idea who it might have come from, ma'am?" She received no answer and looked up. Mac was standing, staring at the note, and the stupidity was leaving. In it's place rushed blood. Lots and lots of blood. She flushed to the roots of her hair, and down her throat. Harriet was about to repeat her question when the answer hurtled into her brain, a getting in a little late from its rendez-vous in Mac's mind. (A/N: I'm sorry...we had ourselves a nice, serious, complicated little fic here, and now it's exactly 1:29 in the morning, and I'm getting silly, aren't I...:) My apologies...:)) Harriet shut her mouth with a quick little gasp and smiled to the ends of her ears. Mac let the note fall from her hands and was about to sit down when there was a knock on the door. (A/N: Why, who could it be?:)) Mac lifted her burning eyes to the doorway where Harm stretched himself across the doorway, grinning at her. If Harriet thought Mac had been flushed before, it was nothing to the red that sprawled across her features.   
"Hey Mac. Someone send you flowers?" Harm was grinning too wide to be innocent, Harriet decided. There was a tense silence during which Mac looked at everything in the room but Harm and Harriet. Harriet took her cue.  
"I'll just go see about those copies, shall I?" She slipped past Harm, grinning her face off. Harm closed the door behind her.  
"You blush extremely easily, you know that?" Harm chided her. Mac sighed and dropped into her chair, still glowing.   
"I can't help it. It seems that just the thought of you now forces me to blush my cheeks off. If it's anyone's fault, it's yours." Harm leaned on the edge of her desk facing her and crossed his arms, grinning like a fool. Mac kicked him disgustedly. Harm smiled wider.   
"Are we on?" He asked. Mac looked up   
"for what?" Harm shrugged.  
"tonight, tomorrow, next week, next year, the rest of my life, forever?" She could not stop the slow smile that spread across her face.   
"yes?" she asked. Harm smiled, Mac beamed, and somewhere, a party began.  
  
(A/N: And so, word spread around the office, and the office pool was finally won, and everyone was happy. Six months later they were married, and he did indeed stay forever. There... ending shmending......:)   
  
kay..........on with the humerous statements!  
  
How many banjo players does it take to screw in a light bulb? five; one to screw it in and four to (a.) complain that it's electric. (b.) lament about how much they miss the old one. (c.) stand around and watch.   
Q: How do you know if there is a drummer at your door ? A: The knocking always speeds up.   
GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS   
ACCIDENTALS: Wrong notes   
CADENCE: When everybody hopes you're going to stop - but you don't   
CLAUSULA: Mrs. Santa   
INTONATION: Singing through one's nose. Considered highly desirable in the Middle Ages   
ORCHESTRAL SUITES: Naughty women who follow touring orchestras   
...and the obligatory Chicks quotes:  
  
"If I were younger, I would, at this very moment, be convincing them that I should be the fourth Dixie Chick." --Stevie Nicks...how much would that rock? To have Stevie Nicks want to join your band?...:)  
  
"We only have one rule and that is there are no rules, so stand up and sing as much as you want to."--Natalie  
  
"Why not just put our best foot forward, which is our live show."--Martie...this is TRUE! if you've never seen them live.....well...they rock...is all I'm saying..;)  
"I tried to get my sparkled kneepads so I can like run and slide with my banjo but they're not coming along very well."--Emily Robison...:) 


End file.
